Air-motor.



No. 868,868. PATENTED 00122. 1907. P. KIEFER.

AIR MOTOR.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 5, 1907.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

WITNESSES: 51 F EE jfir 1'3 INVENTOR.

' By Pezer Ki gfer ATTORNEY.

PETER KIEFER, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI.

Ara-Moron.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 22, 1907.

Application filed April 5, 1907. Serial No. 366,525.

To a l whom it may concern.

Be it known that 1, PETER KIEFER, a subject of the Emperor of Germany,residing at St. Louis, State of Missouri, have invented certain new anduseful Improvements in Air-Motors, of which the following is a full,clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanyingdrawings, forming a part hereof.

My invention has relation to improvements in air motors; and it consistsin the novel construction and arrangement of parts more fully set forthin the specification and pointed out in the claims.

In the drawings. Figure 1 is front elevation of the motor; Fig. 2 isahorizontal section in the line 2 of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is an end elevationthereof; Fig. 4 is a longitudinal vertical section on line 4-4 of Fig.2with parts at end of one stroke; Fig. dis a similarscction on line 55 ofFig. 2 with parts at opposite stroke; Fig. 6 is a cross section on line6-6 of Fig. 5; Fig. 7 is a sectional detail of air-valve in its closedor exhaust posi-- tion; and Fig. 8-is a similar detail of the air-valvefor its open or driving position. I v

The object of my invention is to construct a motor which shall operatebyair underordinary atmospheric pressure in connection with a vacuum whichshall inake such pressure available for the purpose for which it isintendedf Instead,'therefore, of equipping the motor with acompressed-air tank to supply the driving medium, I substitute in lieuthereof a vacuum tankin con junction with which the atmospheric airserves as the impelling medium.-

The advantages of the invention will be better apparent from a detaileddescription thereof which is as follows: 7 Referring to the drawings, Frepresentsa suitable frame in the rear of which is mounted a tank 1,from the base of which leads a pipe 2 having branches 3, 3, connectingwith vacuum pumps P, These may be operated -by hand by means of pitman 4pivoted to a bracket or arm 5'of the frame, proper link and pistonconnections 6 and 7 respectively leading from the pitman to therespective pumps. The operation of the pumps exhausts the tank 1 of itsairfthe' pipe 2 being provided with a valve V to cut off thepumps, oncethe vacuum has been formed in the tank. Thetank 1.

communicates through pipe 8 and branch 9 with the branches 10, 10 (avalve V being provided at a point above the juncture) which terminate atthe ends of the valve-casings 11 located at'the outer ends of the openended cylinders 12 in which operate the pistons 13 at the outer ends ofthe piston rods 14 disposed on opposite sides of the drive-shaft- S. Theshaft Sis mounted transversely of the frame F, and is provided with abelt pulley B .from which may lead a belt to any point where the motoris to perform service.

The shaft S is provided with a double-crank arm 15 to the terminal pin16 of which are pivotallysecured the adjacent ends of the connectingrods 17, 17, each rod terminating in a cross-head 18 (shown in the formof two pins, Fig. 6) the cross-head being guided in the grooved orchanneled ways l9 of the frame, theadjacent ends of the piston-rods 14being in turn coupled to the crossheads as well understood in the artMounted in each valve-casing 11 is a rock-valve 20 having ports a, a andb, one of the former being adapted to communicate when in exhaustposition, with a port 0 in the casing whereby communication may beeffected between the atmosphere and the cylinder 12 behind the piston13. To arm 21 of the valve is pivotally coupled one end of a link 22whose opposite end is pivotally secured to the long arm of a U-shapedrockframe 23 mounted in bearings 24. The short arms of the frames 23 areconnected by a rod 25 whose'intermediate portion is coupled to theoscillating tappet- -levers 26 pivoted nea' their middle to ugs or cars27.

To allow. for the oscillating movement of the tappetlevers, theconnection between them and the connecting rod 25 is effected by meansof pins 28 operating in the transverse slots 29 formed in the rod. thelower ends of the tappetdevers bear cushioning tappet blocks 30 mountedin the guide ways 19 As the respective cross-heads 18 in theirrespective reciprocations strike first one tappet-block and then theother,

' the levers 26 will reciprocate the rod 25, thus oscillating I theframes'23 and rocking the air-valves 20, one valve being in exhaustposition (Fig. 7) and the other in open position (Fig. 8). I I p Theoperation of the motor is as follows: Snpposing the tank 1 to be emptiedof its air, the valve V closed,

the valve V open. The motor can then be started by giving the wheel B aturn by hand after which it will operate under .the action of theatmosphere and vacuum combined. It will be seen that the inner ad-'jac'ent ends of the cylinders 12are open to the atmosphere. Theatmosphere will therefore exert its pressure against the piston 13 whosevalve 20 is in open position (Fig. 8), one face of the piston being thusex posed to the atmosphere, and the other to the a u m in the tank 1,the other piston which has reached the endof the stroke will have bothfaces exposed to the atmosphere, through the ports 0, a, (Fig. 7) sothat no back-pressure will retard said piston in resuming its originalposition. One piston therefore will always be the driving piston, thedriving action being exerted while the piston is moving from the outerto the inner end of its cylinder. At the end of outward stroke of eachpiston its corresponding cross-head impinges against the tappet-block 30thereby tripping the adjacent tappet lever 26, which in turn draws uponthe rod 25, the latter rocking the: frames 23, 23, one frame rocking itsvalve 20 to operating or open position, and

the other rocking its valve 20 to exhaust position, it being rememberedthat the connections between the valve arms 21 and their correspondinglinks 22 are ninety degrees apart, so that the result referred to ispossible. So that in the operation of the motor, one piston is always inposition to be driven under the action of atmospheric pressure, whilethe other piston is exhausting. In such exhaust stroke, some air is ofcourse always admitted into the space between the piston and the valve(Fig. 7), and of courseon the direct stroke, when the valve 20 hasrocked ninety degrees this quantity is'admitted into the vacuum tank sothat in time the tank 1 fills with air and the motor comes to a stop.The air is again pumped out of the tank and the operation is repeated.The use of a vacuum tank offers a source of power directly opposite to acom pressed-air storage tank, to fill which is attended with not only adevelopment of heat due to compression, but to an extra expenditure ofpower to overcome the resistance of the compressed air as a result ofexpansion due to the heat thus generated.

Having described my invention what I claim is 1. in a motor, a vacuumtank,-a pair of cylinders, a transverscly-disposed drive-shaft betweenthe cylinders, pistons in said cylinders, intermediate connectionsbetween the shaft and pistons, pipes for establishing communicationbetween the tank and the adjacent ends of the cylinders, valve-casingsinterposed between the cylinders and said pipes, rock-valves in saidcasings. and intermediate connections between the valves and pistons foractuating assess the valves with the successive reciprocations of thepistons, the adjacent ends of the cylinders being open to expose thepistons to atmospheric pressure, one valve estalr lisliinp;communication between its cylinder and tank and the opposite valveestablishing communication between the cylinder and the atmosphere,whereby one piston is always actuated by atmospheric pressure,substantially as set forth.

.Z. In a motor, a vacuum tank, a pair of 'open ended cylinders havingtheir inner ends in communication with the tank, a central transverselydisposed drive-shaft, pistons in the cylinders, a double crank arm onthe shaft, connecting rod, cross-head and piston-rod connections betweenthe shaft and pistons, rockvalves interposed between the cylinders andtank, tappet-levers pivoted on either side of the shaft, a connectingrod for the outer ends of the levers, links connecting the connectingrod with the axes of the rock-valves, said connections being ninetydegrees apart, the valves and their casings having! ports disposed so asto permit inter-communication between one cylinder and the tank for onestroke of the piston, and between the atmosphere and the cylinder forthe opposite or exhaust stroke of the piston, whereby one piston isalways exposed to atmospheric pressure on one side and a vacuum on theopposite side, the parts operating substantially as, and for the purposeset forth.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature, in presence of two witnesses.

PETER KIEFER.

Witnesses EMIL STAREK, MARY D. WnrrcoMn.

